Bit-truck



(No Model.) 7

W. A. GROVE.

BIT TRUCK.

No. 472,538. Patented Apr. 12.1892.

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UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

'WILLIAM A. GROVE, OF TlON ESTA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BIT-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 472,538, dated April12, 1892,

Application filed December 7, 1891. Serial No. 414,349. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM A. GROVE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Tionesta, in the county of Forest and State of Pennsylvania,have invented a new and useful Bit Oonveyer and Elevator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to machinery for drilling oil or Artesian wells.The drilling-tools, or string of tools, as they are called, comprise,first, at the bottom, the bit or drill proper, next the stem, then thejars, and, lastly, the rope-socket, to which is attached the rope ordrilling-cable. These parts are all connected by screw-joints, andtogether weigh two thousand pounds and upward. Obviously the bit must befrequently sharpened, and for this purpose must be removed from thestem. The tools are drawn from the well and swung to one side of thederrick and there held suspended by the cable while the other necessaryoperationsare going on. The bit is then removed, taken to the forge,(generally at one side of the derrick,) sharpened, tempered, andreturned to the stem. There are generally two bits, one being sharpenedwhile the other is in use. As these bits are heavy, weighing from onehundred and fifty to five hundred pounds, it requires the labor of twomen to carry the bit and insert it in the stem, and even then it isheavy work. 1

The object of my invention is to provide a truck or carriage on whichthe bit may be placed and held in an upright position while beingconveyed to and fromthe forge and tempering-tub, and also upon the truckto have an elevator by which the bit may be lowered or raised, so as tobe easily disconnected from or connected with the stem, thus requiringbut little manual labor. This I accomplish by the device illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe truck; Fig. 2, a sectional view through the center, showing the bitas being conveyed and also in dotted lines as being adjusted to thestem;

- and Fig. 3, an enlarged section of the bitshoe, showing its connectionwith the crank. In the several views the same letters are used toindicate the same or similar parts.

A represents the frame of the truck mounted upon the three wheels BB andB. The

two wheels B B revolve on the axle b, which is fast to the frame. Therear wheel B is a pivot-wheel attached to the spindle O.

D D are the arms, being extensions of the sides of the frame A, curvedupward to a convenient height and connected at the top by the hand-pieced.

Near the front of the frame, resting upon it and confined by thegudgeons e e, is placed thecrank-shaft E, bent to form the crank betweenthe side'pieces of the frame A. At one end of this shaft where itextends beyond the frame A is firmly attached the ratchet-Wheel F,controlling the revolutions of the shaft, and outside the wheel thelever Gis placed loosely upon the shaft, the lever having the pawlgacting against the ratchet-wheel, and by means of which lever and pawlthe shaft E is revolved. Elsewhere, preferably on the end of the axle b,are two or more pawls f f to catch the ratchet-wheel F as it is revolvedand hold it while the lever G is moved backward. These pawls are ofdiffering length, catching the wheel at different points, thus limitingthe lost motion.

Upon the crank E is placed the loose collar H, through which the crankpasses loosely, and pivoted to this collar is the bit-shoe I. This beingpivoted to the collar revolves freely horizontally, and the collar beingloose upon the axle revolves vertically. These two motions allowsthebit-shoe a free motion in every direction.

Upon the frame A and supported from the arms D D are placed the struts KK L L and cross-piece M for supporting the upper end of the bit nearlyvertical when the point is placed in the shoe 1. A chain N is attachedto the eyebolt O on one side and may be hooked in the fork P on theother.

The operation is as follows: The bit being taken from the forge ortempering-tub and the stem, the bit raised by the working of the leverG, turning the crank-shaft E, thus bringing the pin on the bit into thefemale screw on the stem, as shown by the dotted lines in Fig. 2, andwhile the pressure on the lever G continues to lift the bit the bit isrevolved horizontally, engaging the threads of the screw, the swivelmotion of the bitshoe I allowing this to be done. As soon as thescrewthreads are engaged the weight is taken from the bit-shoe and thetruck removed. In taking the bit from the stem this operation isreversed, the truck being run under the bit and the bit-shoe brought upto receive the weight, the pawls f f are thrown back, and the backwardmotion of the lever G lowers the bit as it is unscrewed from the stem.For convenience and compactness the arms D D are nearly upright, andalso for convenience of moving in any direction, the wheel B being acaster-wheel, the truck can be trundled in any direction without liftingthe wheels from the floor.

I have described and shown the lever G as playing loosely on the shaftof the ratchetwheel F. This is preferably done; but any other connectionoran y other ordinary method of securing the revolution of the wheel orcrank, or a system of gear-wheels connecting with a pinion on thecrank-shaft, maybe used without varying the principle of my invention.

I claim as my invention 1. I11 a bit-truck, as a device for elevatingand lowering the bit, the crank-shaft E, with the loose collar II uponthe crank, and bitshoe I, attached to the collarbya swivel-join t,substantially as shown and described.

2. In a bit-truck, the crank-shaft E, with ratchet-wheel F attached toone end thereof, in combination with the lever G and pawl g,substantially as shown and described.

3. In a bit truck and elevator, the crankshaft E, with ratchet-wheel Fattached to one end thereof, the lever G,With pawl g, the pawls f f, theloose collar 11 upon the crank, and bitshoe I, attached to the collar bya swiveljoint, all mounted on a truck-frame, substantially as shown anddescribed.

t. In a bit truck and elevator, the frame consisting of the struts K K LL, cross-strut M, and chain 0 for holding the upper end of the bitvertical, or nearly so, substantially as shown and described.

5. The bit-shoe I, attached to the crank E by a swivel-joint andloosecollar II, substantially as shown and described.

6. In a bit-truck, the device of an elevator attached to and mountedupon the truck for elevating or depressing the bit as required,substantially as shown.

7. A bit truck and elevator consisting of the frame A, mounted uponthree wheels, the rear wheel being pivoted as a caster, the arms D D,the crank-shaft E, with ratchet-Wheel F attached to one end thereof,lever G, pawls g and ff, mounted on said frame, struts K K, L L, and M,and chain 0, all operating in combination, substantially as shown anddescribed, and for the purposes herein set forth.

\VILLIAM A. GROVE.

Witnesses:

E. GIVEN, DAVID \VEED.

